The present invention relates in general to game apparatuses, and more particularly to a water pumping game apparatus.
Several games apparatuses involving fluid pumping and manipulation have been developed in that art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,580 to Tourand discloses a liquid propelled game that comprises a housing with a liquid-filled playing area having defined passageways which are dimensioned to receive a projectile. A first player operates a first liquid directing plunger which creates currents within the liquid-filled playing area that propel the projectile toward a first target, while a second player simultaneously manipulates a second liquid directing plunger in an attempt to cause the projectile to deviate away from the path of travel through the liquid toward the first target and towards a second target associated with the second player. A liquid reservoir, pump and conduits are provided for filling the playing area with liquid before the start of play and for evacuating the liquid from the playing area after a predetermined amount of playing time has elapsed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,230 to Mendes, Jr. discloses a water columnar race game in which two or more players compete to fill a column of water by engaging a target with a fluid or solid projectile stream or a light beam. Detectors upon a target are adapted to signal a separate water pressure device in order to force water from a reservoir up into and through a transparent or translucent column. At the top of such column, a detector awaits the rising column of water in order to signal its arrival and indicate the success of the player in engaging his or her respective target. The apparatus can be configured so that each player's column is filled from a separate reservoir or from a common reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,338 to Hampton discloses a water column game that includes a plurality of vertically oriented water columns, each having a housing disposed at the upper end thereof coaxial with and in open communication with the column. A float is freely disposed and captured within each housing. A target and valves are responsive to a game player for directing water into a lower end of each water column, such that water rises within the column and the housing in sequence so as to raise the float buoyantly within the housing. A switch is disposed at the upper end of each housing, and is responsive to contact by the float for indicating that the float has reached the upper end of the column. The water-fill volume of each column and housing is adjustable and all columns are fed from a common pump for equalizing the opportunity of each player to win.
Although the above games involve fluid pumping, the end result of the game and associated apparatus of the present invention are different. The present invention involves fluid pumping by players, and the object of the game is to drench opponents with the pumped fluid, after pumping a predetermined amount of fluid.